Support member



July 28, 1959 s w 2,896,247

' SUPPORT MEMBER Filed June 22, 1195:;

Fig .1.

IN VE N TOR Frederick Robert Sewell ATTORNE Y5 United States Patent SUPPORT MEMBER Frederick Robert Sewell, Beckenharn, England, assignor to Percy Jones (Twinlock) Limited, Beckenham, England Application June 22, 1956, Serial No. 593,148

Claims priority, application Great Britain August 29, 1955 4 Claims. (Cl. 16---42) This invention relates to improved supporting members for use in supporting relatively heavy objects upon smooth or polished surfaces, so as to facilitate sliding movement of such objects over such surfaces and to prevent damage being done to such polished surfaces by movement thereover of such relatively heavy objects.

The invention is adapted for very numerous applications where the above conditions exist, but will hereinafter for convenience be described as applied to the supporting surface of a loose leaf posting tray, which trays are commonly of considerable size and weight, and are also often of metal construction or are provided with metal reinforcing members at their edges or corners which are liable to cause damage to such polished surfaces as those of the desks on which they are normally placed when in use. It will however readily be appreciated that the invention is also applicable to any relatively heavy article normally employed on a polished surface.

According to the invention, the article to be supported is provided upon its normally lowermost surface with two or more runners or skids, each consisting of a strip of felt or like relatively soft but durable material, such strip being held in a channel-shaped metal member the longitudinal edges of which are embedded in the felt strip at approximately the middle of its thickness, the felt strip having an arcuate upper surface in cross-section and holes being provided in the channel-shaped member through which fastening means such as screws or rivets may be passed to secure the composite skid to the lowermost surface of the article to be supported.

According to the invention a simple and economical method of manufacture of such skids is provided, as hereinafter more fully described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a partly formed channel-shaped metal strip,

Figure 2 is a sectional view showing such metal strip with a felt strip laid therein,

Figure 3 is a sectional view similar to Figure 2, showing a step in the manufacture of the finished skid, and

Figure 4 is a sectional view of the composite skid in its finished state ready for attachment to the surface of the article to be supported.

Referring to the drawing, a strip of suitable metal is bent to provide a flat bottom plate 1 with side flanges 2 each of which has a return flange 3 formed at its free edge, as shown in Figures 1 and 2.

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A rectangular section strip 4 of felt or like material, as shown in Figure 2, is then laid in the channel-shape formed by the metal strip of Figure 1, and the return flanges 3 of the metal strip are then forced inwardly, as shown in Figure 3, to penetrate the lateral surfaces of the felt strip, by means of a press tool having jaws 5.

At the end of the compressive stroke of the jaws 5, the return flanges 3 of the metal strip are brought to the shape shown in Figure 4, the edges of the metal strip thus being deeply embedded into the felt strip, and the flanges 2 being brought to positions at right angles to the bottom plate 1 of the metal strip; the effect of this forcible embedding of the flanges 3 in the initially rectangular felt strip 4 is to cause the free upper surface thereof to take up an arcuate form in cross-section, as indicated at 6 in Figure 4. The downwardly extending parts 3 of the strip prevent removal of the felt from the metal strip.

A suitable number of holes 7 are preferably preformed in the plate 1 of the metal strip, to facilitate securing the finished skid shown in Figure 4 to the surface to be supported, e.g. by means of screws entered through the felt strips and passing through the plate 1 into the surface to be supported.

As will readily be appreciated, the invention provides a supporting skid or runner of efficient and simple construction, which in use prevents any damage to a polished surface being caused by the article supported on such surface, and further enables such skids to be extremely simply manufactured from readily available and low-cost materials.

I claim:

1. A support for a relatively heavy object intended to be placed upon a polished supporting surface, comprising an elongated substantially U-shaped metal channel member, inwardly bent edges on the side walls of such men1- her, a strip of durable fibrous material fitting snugly within the U-shaped channel member, the inwardly bent edges of the side walls of said channel being embedded in said strip and extending towards the web portion of the channel member, and apertures in the web of the channel to receive fastening means.

2. Supporting means according to claim 1, wherein the strip disposed in the channel is formed from felt.

3. Supporting means according to claim 1, wherein the thickness of the strip and the depth of the side walls of the channel are so related that the inturned edges of said side walls enter the strip substantially midway of its thickness.

4. A support according to claim 1, wherein the face of the felt strip remote from the web of the channel member is convexly bowed.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 123,973 Booth Feb. 27, 1872 1,750,631 Eaglesfield Mar. 18, 1930 1,799,904 Howlett Apr. 7,. 1931 1,824,923 Parsons Sept. 29, 1931 2,322,946 Liabastre June 29, 1943 2,395,878 Keene Mar. 5, 1946 

